RD Awareness Day… believe me I’m aware.

It’s raining here. It’s been raining here for 2 days. I love the rain, the sound it makes, the smell of it, the way it cleans the earth and gives us water to drink. Fill those aquifers! I love thunder and lightning. What I don’t love is the aches the rain brings with it. My hands and feet feel like someone sat on them all night while I was sleeping. My knees are like that squeaky door in the horror movies (the one everyone yells for the girl not to walk through, but she does anyway). My shoulders would really prefer to be immobile. So believe me I am FULLY aware of rheumatoid disease today. Thank you G-d for man-made hips, which never ache!

How aware are you? Here are some facts put together by the Rheumatoid Disease Foundation.

* RD is not “just arthritis” (as if that wouldn’t be bad enough!), but arthritis is one symptom for people with RD.

*  Other symptoms can come and go (called flaring) or be constant. They include fatigue, joint pain, stiffness, swelling and fevers, among many others.

* RD is a progressive immune system disorder. I tell people that I have an over-achiever immune system. It gets bored easily and attacks my body.  My doctor says RD is in the blood and attacks anything the blood touches… so yeah, that’s joints, cartilage, organs, everything.

* Almost 2/3 of patients have 20% or less response to treatment. Many people must have surgeries to repair damage. There is no cure.

* About 1% of the population has RD, but arthritis conditions, including RD, are the number one cause of disability in America.

I still have kids to raise, meals to cook, commitments (although I always know that a flare, a fever or exhaustion can waylay any commitment I make), things to do. I have to shop and go to school functions. My life didn’t stop with RD, but it sure feels that way sometimes. I still want to have fun, laugh, travel, spend time doing all the things I’ve always loved. Be aware of RD, but remember those who suffer from it are still the same people they were before it hit. I’m still me, just at a much slower pace.

Going to cook and eat and watch the Super Bowl today. Even with the pain.